Guild Wars 2: Sliders
by Azeena Videll
Summary: A short story originally written in July-August 2014, an unofficial sequel to my Dark Reality story. Very little violence. Two friends test a new asuran invention that lets them travel to alternate versions of Tyria.
1. Chapter 1

Two women are running for their lives.

Under a dark moonlit sky in the streets of the Charr capital city Black Citadel, they managed to gain some distance from the Charr that were in pursuit. There were perhaps a dozen of them, maybe more. Azelia Heartshaper was less than ten feet ahead of Tesla Taiyou. Although their window of opportunity to leave this world is less than five minutes away, this definitely wasn't the time to be thinking about that. Right now, they both share only one thought... _survive!_

Entering the central Imperator's Core section while wiping more sweat from their eyes, the two turned around one corner, leading to a corridor on a downward slope, curving inward. A thick iron door is open from the halfway point down, bloodied and with a bit of rust. Some of the beasts chasing them crashed into nearby walls as a result of their fast momentum dashing on all four limbs. The delay was very brief, if noticable at all. Azelia and Tesla are scared out of their minds and these creatures are madly driven towards the smell of their fear.

Dashing past the door and into a small room, Tesla stopped to close it as quickly as she could. Even with her warrior strength, she struggled to budge it with very little success. "Az, help me with this!"

After keeping herself from crashing against the back wall, Azelia rushed over to her aid, adding all the sylvari strength she could muster. The closing process was slow but effective. The Charr were very close to their location. With seconds to spare, the door was fully closed as Azelia shoved the two sliding locking bolts into place, one close to the top and another near the bottom.

The creatures viciously assaulted the door with their bare hands, trying to break it down. Startled by the impact, Azelia and Tesla got away from the door, in partial embrace for comfort, hoping the door will protect them. A single torch in another corner of the room, propped high on the wall, is their only light source. If the door gives in, there is no escape for them.

A few of the beasts managed to put some good sized dents in the iron door. After more minutes of terror, the pounding ceased. Perhaps the monsters gave up and are scrambling to search for another way inside. One of them howled, sounding like a feminine demon. Grateful that the door held, the two made their way over to the torch and sat at the wall to finally settle down and catch their breath. The room turned out to be the Citadel Stockade, which holds prison cells and a couple of inactive furnaces.

"You okay?" Azelia asked.

Tesla paused before answering. "I think so... not sure if that big one swiped my back with his claw."

Azelia stood up. "Let me look you over to make sure." Helping Tesla to her own feet, she examined her whole body from head to toe, on all sides. "I don't see anything."

Tesla then checked Azelia for injuries. "You're good." They both leaned back against the wall, resting. "How much longer do we have?"

Azelia reached into a pocket on the inside of her multicolored leaf skirt and unbuttoned it, pulling out a small electronic device the size of a deck of cards, but half as thick. It has a timer at the top, counting down towards zero, along with the current time and date. She checked what the timer currently displays. "Less than two minutes."

Tesla closed her eyes for a moment, relieved to hear that. "Thank the Six."

"I was hoping the first parallel world we come to would have been nice and pretty."

"So did I. But instead, we ended up on a world where everyone of all races turn into savage bloodthirsty Charr at night."

Azelia paced around in place while stretching her neck and arms, keeping the timer in hand. "It was so scary watching those poor Quaggan children go through that."

Tesla heard a low groan coming from one of the holding cells, startling both women. She removed the torch from the wall and carefully walked over to the cell. A man in Charr form is inside it, resting against the back railing. He is critically wonded and wearing Seraph armor that has been torn and ripped due to the extra body mass.

Azelia walked over to the cell, curious over what Tesla was seeing. "What do you think happened to him?"

"I'd guess he was attacked before transforming and locked himself in here." The shiny faint glare of two collar rank pins caught Tesla's eye. She knelt down to one knee and moved the torch to see it better. One pin is the rank of Captain and the other Royal Protector. Gasping, there is only one person that she knows who holds that title. "It's Logan Thackeray."

He began to softly and slowly whimper like an injured animal. Azelia looked back at the timer. "Thirty seconds."

Tesla reached into the cell with her free hand and gently stroked the side of Logan's face. He made no attempt to harm her. In fact, it almost seemed like he recognized her. She was trying not to cry. Azelia put a hand on her shoulder. "They can't hurt him any more. He's safe here."

After a short pause, Tesla placed the torch on the concrete floor and stood up. Azelia rechecked the countdown and took a few steps closer to the bare back wall, pointing the timer towards it. "Three... two... one..."

She pressed a round touchscreen button. A short beam of light beamed from the top of the timer and against the wall. A portal vortex opened. Logan was trying to widen his eyes, astonished seeing it. Tesla glanced back at him with sympathy.

"Tes, come on. We have to go," said Azelia.

Tesla faced back towards the portal and entered it. Azelia paused to take one last look at him as well before entering herself. The vortex closed moments after. It was truly the most beautiful thing that Logan has seen. And the last thing he will ever see.

Unless you look at their profession armors, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart, aside from their short black hair and big silver colored eyes. Asuran identical twins Ellie and Lynni Videll have really outdone themselves. They are the inventors and co-creators of the Parallel Vortex Projector (PVP), as well as members of the guild _Unified Heroes of Tyria (UHoT)_. The inspiration to design the PVP came from fellow Asuran guildmate Diina Dia, who also happens to be an inventor. But then again, so are all Asurans in general. Some are just more creative than others.

Diina's latest creation was going to be tested three months ago, in an attempt to send UHoT co-leaders Selene Lion and Azeena Videll back in time to prevent the awakening of the elder dragon Zhaitan. The events that followed resulted in the timejump technically never occuring. Yet those who were part of it still clearly remember what happened. It has never been explained how they do.

The twins were in Diina's krewe at the time. They wanted to expand on Zojja's multiple timeline theory but in a different direction. Instead of dealing with alternate timelines, the idea is to be able to travel to other parallel worlds while remaining in the same time and place, where each world has its own unique history, as well as being able to safely return to your own homeworld whenever desired.

For example, a world where clean air is toxic to the Sylvari... a world where each person must perform a specific action every day or die... a world where the Charr wear polka dot pajamas, playing with hula hoops and ride small dragons as mounts.

That last one would be quite interesting and amusing to see.

It is late evening at the twins' lab in Metrica Province. Just like most other labs in that area, the building has no doors and is exposed to the wilderness. Lynni is on a computer terminal, with Ellie impatiently pacing behind her.

"Something's wrong. I can feel it," said Ellie.

"Will you calm down and sit already, before you wear out the floor panels?" Lynni replied.

"They should have returned two hours ago!"

Lynni facepalmed while sighing. She hopped out of her chair. "Look, I'm sure there's a logical reason for..."

Before she could finish, the sound of a vortex opening was heard from a back room of the lab. "The portal!" they both said in unison, and then hurried over to there. Tesla was the first one to emerge from it and is visibly upset. Azelia came out a few seconds later and the vortex closed behind her. The timer's countdown is blank.

"Praise the Eternal Alchemy, you're finally back!" Ellie told them.

"Tesla, are you all right?" Lynni asked. Without saying a word, Tesla walked out of the room and left the lab, not making eye contact with anyone.

"She will be fine," Azelia assured them. "Just needs time to herself for a while." As the trio went to a small conference room and sat down, Azelia set the timer in the center of the table and stretched her neck again.

Lynni took the timer to see whether or not it is damaged. "How did the test run go?"

"Had a few problems with the timer," Azelia said. You could hear in her voice how tired she is.

"Such as?"

"You told us we would arrive in the same time and place as we left, and that we can safely return in one hour. When Tesla and I got there, it was almost an hour later, at Black Citadel and the countdown started at three hours instead."

Lynni glanced over to Ellie with a puzzled look and handed the timer to her for examination. "That's very strange, as well as explaining for the delay. But I don't recall writing any code to make this able to program itself."

"Neither of us did. We will need to upload its logs for further review," Ellie said.

"Oh, by the way... the world you were in, what was it like?" Lynni asked.

The Sylvari took a deep breath. "Let's just say it was really bad, we never want to go back there again and leave it at that. But I'm sure Tesla wouldn't mind taking another trip with me if you can get the timer straightened out. Maybe we'll end up somewhere better."

Ellie nodded. "I agree. We should all get some sleep and one of us will be in contact with you both first thing in the morning."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Azelia and Tesla emerged from the PVP portal into another alternate world. It is early afternoon and they are inside the northern gate of Lion's Arch. The weather is cloudy as if a storm was in the area recently. After they paused to glance around, the city is not in the state it was in before Scarlet Briar's forces attacked and it is partially infused with Asuran technology.

"Interesting," Tesla noted.

Azelia raised the timer in her hand up to view it and checked the departure countdown. "I still say there's something wrong with this. It's like everything is randomized after arriving. The time of day, location and how long until we can safely return. We left the lab a little after sunrise and the twins assured us that they found no problems with the timer to explain why it's doing this."

"Speaking of which, when do we leave?"

"Twenty minutes." Azelia put the timer back in her skirt pocket.

Tesla nodded. "That's not bad. Let's check out these buildings while we wait."

It was strange to see the former location of the crafting stations void of activity. They approached the bridge leading to the Traders Forum, where the bank and trading post is located, and heard screams a short distance away. Jogging over the bridge, they stopped on the other side. UHoT guild members, or rather what appears to be them, are attacking other people.

Some of the attackers looked to be ordinary city patrons but they and UHoT all have the dragon emblem somewhere on their body. But what made it even stranger is that part of their bodies are fused with Asuran tech. Some have small lasers coming out of one eye or the side of their head. They resembles half-organic half-machine cyborgs in general.

"What the...?" Tesla said.

They were the only nine guildmates that Azelia and Tesla saw in the area. One of them, a dark haired female necromancer named Charsi, was still a normal human and yet she was one of those being attacked. The tallest of the group, Selene Lion, is approaching her with a mechanical claw-like hand.

"Somebody help me!" Charsi yelled out, stepping backwards. She and Selene are around the other side of the Mystic Forge from the bridge. Charsi stumbled on a dead body and fell down. Selene quickly took advantage of it by plunging the claw somewhere on her body. The forge was mostly blocking the view. Charsi's screams quickly turned into a garbled sound as if choking on something.

Desparate to try and help Charsi, Azelia looked around for a weapon. She and Tesla didn't bring one along from the lab. A scepter was found close to a dead woman. Picking it up, Azelia channeled her mesmer energy through it and fired a small burst at Selene, striking the side of her back. She didn't seem to be affected by it because Selene stood up as if nothing happened and turned to Azelia's location.

"Uh oh... think I made her angry," Azelia told Tesla.

Selene raised her normal hand, pointing the palm at Azelia and fired an energy burst of her own, striking the Sylvari in the waist where the timer is kept. Azelia dropped to one knee in minor pain. The scepter slipped out of her hand. Charsi sat up, now with parts of her own body covered in tech. She snapped her head around towards the bridge with a glowing red right eye, before standing up.

Tesla helped get Azelia back up. "Time to leave!"

As the two turned around to head back to the north gate, more UHoT members showed up in the crafting sections. A few others were in the waterway underneath the bridge. As the duo began to worry about what to do next, all of UHoT spoke in unison.

 _"We are UHoT. Existence as you know it is over. We will add your biological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."_

UHoT started to slowly walk towards them. Looking around on all sides, Tesla didn't see any way to get around their numbers. "Azelia, get us out of here!"

She pulled out the timer and checked the countdown. Although slightly fluctuating, it was still operational. "We haven't even been here five minutes yet!"

"It's either that or we end up like them! DO IT!"

After a pause of hesitation, Azelia pointed the timer down at the bridge and pressed the button, opening the vortex. They both jumped in at the same time as members of UHoT were almost in arm's reach of them. Fortunately, the vortex closed before any of them got to it.

Both women were dazed during their slide through the vortex wormhole. As they lay on the ground clearing their heads, a cool breeze blows around them. Tesla was the first to open her eyes. The sky above is completely dark with no stars or moonlight. She slowly sat up, rubbing the back of her neck to stop the slight numbness.

Wherever this new location was, there are Asuran light panels embedded in some of the walls, although some ordinary torches are also used. It looked more like where Humans would live. They are laying in the middle of a ramp that connects the upper and lower sections of wherever they were together.

Tesla gently shook Azelia by the shoulder, trying to wake her. "Hey, can you hear me?" She was out cold. "Azelia, please wake up."

The sound of footsteps was heard coming from below the ramp, heading up towards them. Tesla tried to see who or what it is. All she could see what a dark silhouette in the form of a female with twin ponytails, one on each side of her head. The pupils of her eyes are emitting a soft glowing blue color.

"Excuse me," Tesla said to her, "My friend is hurt and needs help."

The mystery woman got close to them. She is wearing exotic armor, colored electric lemon and abyss, and carrying twin pistols on her belt. Now that she could be seen in the light better, Tesla was able to see that it was Engie Videll, one of Azeena's sisters. But what was with the glowing eyes?

"Engie? Is that really you?"

The engineer pulled out her pistols, pointing one at Tesla's head and the other at Azelia. "What is your faction?"

Her question puzzled Tesla. "Engie, it's me, Tesla. This is Azelia laying here."

Engie put the pistol directly against Tesla's head. "Answer me now."

"UHoT," she quickly replied, "I'm from UHoT, the same guild all three of us are in."

"Tell me your faction before I blow your head off!"

A second woman spoke from the other side of the ramp. "What's going on here?"

Tesla and Engie looked over in that direction. This new arrival is a female guardian with light hair, wearing blue and white Invader armor, approaching their location. Her eyes are also glowing blue in color.

"Azeena," Tesla whispered. In her mind, she had a brief flashback to when Diina's timejump experiment was aborted. The future Azeena Videll and the one of this world could pass as identical twins themselves, except for their eye colors.

"This woman won't reveal what faction she belongs to," Engie said.

Azeena knelt down and gently grabbed Tesla by the chin, turning her head slightly from one side to the other, looking for something. "Not sensing mystic energy... she's a Neutral." Azeena let go and stood back up.

Engie put her pistols away. "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" she asked Tesla.

"I didn't understand what you were asking. Are factions like guilds?"

"Something like that, yes," Engie replied.

Azeena pointed down at Azelia's unconscious body. "What's her story?"

"We were attacked before waking up here. Well, she was the one under attack, not me."

"The attackers... which faction were they in?" Azeena remembered Tesla just now saying she didn't know what factions are, so she rephrased the question. "What color are their eyes?"

Tesla paused to think. _What would their eye color have to do with it?_ , she thought. But still, the memory of the previous world was fresh in her mind. All of UHoT's forces in Lion's Arch had one red eye in either the left or right socket. "Their eyes were red."

Azeena and Engie snapped glances at each other upon hearing that. "Red Eyes?" they said together.

Engie wondered with surprise. "I thought they were all eliminated."

"So did I," said Azeena, extending out her hand to offer to help Tesla up, who accepted and got to her feet. "Engie, carry the other one. Let's take them to Jenna."


	3. Chapter 3

Azelia slowly opened her eyes. She is laying on a bed with a cold wet cloth on her forehead and the first thing she saw was the smiling face of Tesla, who is sitting next to her.

"Welcome back," said Tesla.

She moaned as her head cleared some more. "How long have I been out?"

Tesla removed the cloth. "A little over two hours. And we still got two more hours until we can slide again." She helped her slowly sit up.

Azelia glanced around. "Where are we?"

"Divinity's Reach, Eastern Commons district."

"We... we didn't return to the lab?"

Tesla nodded no. "I think activating the portal early and Selene zapping the timer screwed something up."

Azelia looked worried and rightfully so. "Are you saying we can't get back home?"

"I honestly don't know. We'll find out for sure in two hours." There was a soft knock on the door. "Come in."

A female Charr entered, peeking her head through the doorway but not entering all the way. Like the Vidells, her eyes are glowing blue. "Good, you're awake. We are about to have a meal in the Upper Level. Would either of you like to join us?"

Azelia was a bit spooked by her eyes so Tesla decided to speak for both of them. "We will be there shortly. Thank you." She bowed her head and left, closing the door behind her.

"Please tell me this is a good world we're on," Azelia said.

"Sort of. Jenna told me about it while you were unconscious. I'll explain on the way." After getting dressed, the two were heading to the center of the city.

Tesla's description of this world was very strange, beginning with its size. Divinity's Reach and a breathable atmosphere are literally the only things in it. Beyond the city walls, which are indestructible, there is no sun, no moon, no stars, no space, no nothing. The city constantly remains at a comfortable temperature.

However, it wasn't always like this. Ten years ago, an unnamed mysterious cosmic entity appeared in the city. There was no way to tell if it was male or female. For unknown reasons, the entity reduced the size of the entire world to the boundaries of Divinity's Reach. Those on the outside are rumored to be killed. In addition, those still inside had all their past long term memories erased so they could not remember what life was like before the global reduction, yet they still had knowledge of the entity's existence. Other than that, all they knew was their names, where everything is in the city and that there is absolutely nothing outside of it.

The entity divided them into factions, distinguished by eye color, each occupying their own district. There were six colors: blue, gray, green, red, orange and purple. Technically, they are neither 'good' or 'evil'. Think of it in terms of a Battlegrounds world vs world match with six teams instead of three. A very small amount of people have no eye color and are called Neutrals.

From the start, everyone in Divinity's Reach had glowing eyes. But to become a Neutral, one must willingly choose by their own free will to not engage in any violent or hostile activity until their eyes stop glowing. The actual time it takes to do this varies and is rather difficult to achieve. It is not permitted for a member of any faction to intentionally harm or kill a Neutral. Breaking this rule will result in the offending Eye-Glower vanishing from existence. If a Neutral assists an Eye-Glower who is involved in hostility or violence, the Neutral instantly joins the faction of whoever they gave assistance to and their eyes glows of their color.

The population is unware that this is all a test created by the entity. The 'winning' objective is for everyone to end hostilities and become Neutrals, assuming there was at least two different factions involved. If only one faction remains alive at any time, not including Neutrals, everyone in the city will have 'failed' the test and the entire world will vanish, taking them with it.

Azelia and Tesla entered the Upper Level (previously known as Upper City), the circular center of Divinity's Reach. It is a Neutral territory, meaning all factions must remain at a non-violent ceasefire while in the area. Violating the ceasefire rule also erases you from existence. There are numerous cooking crafting stations, upgraded with Asuran tech, that can automatically create any food or beverage recipe without learning the actual skill.

Members of all remaining factions are present, sitting among themselves instead of blending in with other factions. Neutrals are allowed to sit with whoever they choose. After they received their meals, Tesla saw the table where Jenna is located.

"I see Jenna over there," Tesla said to Azelia. "She's the leader of the Eastern Commons and who had you taken to the bed you were laying on."

They walked over to the table, being careful not to bump into any Eye-Glowers along the way. Most of them took a moment to glance over in their direction. Azeena and Engie are with Jenna. In this world, there is no such thing as royalty so she is not a queen.

"Good to see you back on your feet," Jenna said to Azelia. "Feeling better?"

"Slight headache but I'm fine."

"Please, join us."

The Vidells scooted over to give them room. Tesla and Azelia placed their meals on the table and sat down.

"Sorry about earlier, with the pistols to both of your heads and everything," Engie said to Tesla. "But I had never seen you before."

 _Not on_ _ **this**_ _world, at least_ , Tesla thought. "Just glad you didn't pull the trigger."

Azelia stopped chewing halfway after hearing what Engie said. She was not told about that incident. Swallowing, she glared at Tesla. "And when were you planning to tell me about that?"

Tesla raised her glass. "I wasn't going to." She started to drink.

Azelia opened her mouth as if to respond to that but stopped, deciding not to. She resumed eating.

"I have never seen you two before either," Azeena said. "Where have you been hiding for the last ten years?"

"They haven't been here until today," Jenna replied.

Azeena was puzzled by that statement. "Huh?"

"I'll explain later." Jenna then noticed a male guardian walking up to their table. "Oh no..."

Everyone else looked over to see who Jenna was referring to. It's Logan Thackeray and his eyes are glowing orange. Only Azelia and Tesla reacted in alert to his presence. Logan stopped close to where Tesla is sitting. "So... two more Neutrals, eh?" he said.

"Yep," Azeena replied.

Logan noticed Tesla staring at him. At the moment, she couldn't tell if he's on the side of good or not. "What are you looking at?" he asked. "Never seen a superior fighter before?" Now she could easily tell.

Azelia was not impressed. "Not really. But if you happen to find one, feel free to point that person out to us."

Logan glared at her with a ticked off look. "Was I talking to you, twig? Know your role and shut your mouth."

Wrong choice of words. She got up from the table, not taking her eyes off his. "I'd like to see you _try_ to shut me up."

Logan went around the table to get almost right in her face. All those at the table got up, expecting a fight to break out at any moment. Even though Logan was half a foot taller in height, Azelia showed no fear. Tesla can't believe she is behaving in this manner.

"Azelia, what are you doing?! Sit down!" Tesla insisted. It is getting the attention of all Eye-Glowers in the area.

"Yes, Azelia, what _are_ you doing?" Logan said. "Sit down before I put you down."

Jenna interrupted, "Logan, you know the rules! No hostility against a Neutral, especially here in the Upper!"

"As I said, I'd like to see you try," Azelia replied to Logan in defiance.

His anger is clearly apparent, silently pondering his next move. But he didn't act on his threat, heeding Jenna's warning.

"I didn't think you would," said Azelia. "So get out of my face. Right now."

When it was obvious that Logan wasn't going to, she took a step back, reached down to the tray of food on the table, picked it up and while holding to both sides of it, Azelia tossed the food on it to his face. She slammed the tray down on the table, never breaking eye contact the whole time.

Logan wiped the applesauce and the warm fire veggie chili from his eyes and face, surprised that she dared to do that. No longer caring about rules, he pulled his right fist back to punch her. Tesla rushed over and grabbed his arm. He jerked his head around to see who did that, jerked his arm out of her grip and strongly backhanded her right between the eyes. Tesla crashed into the side of the table while falling to the floor. She is now the one who is out cold.

Logan vanished. In total shock, Azelia ran over to Tesla's aid. Other Orange-Eyes reacted in disbelief. He was their third appointed leader in the past month. Only a handful of Oranges now remain.

Checking the timer, there is six minutes remaining. Azelia is hoping she wakes up in time for the slide. Tesla is now laying on that same bed she was on earlier with a wet cold cloth on her own forehead. If necessary, Azelia will try to carry her through the vortex but for the moment, she is pacing back and forth in front of the door that leads to the bedroom.

In the main halls of the city, all five factions are fighting each other again. The sounds and echoes of the combat can be heard all the way to the bedroom in the Eastern Commons district. Azelia worries in slight regret, believing she may have been the spark that ignited the fire. She just wanted Logan to do the right thing and walk away, but he didn't and is now dead because of it. Is this some sort of sign or omen? Of the three parallel worlds the duo has visited so far, two alternate Logans lost their lives.

 _"Azelia."_

The voice came from inside the bedroom. Azelia opened the door and stepped inside. A single candle provides any light from within.

Tesla is in a sitting up position with the cloth now in her lap. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

Azelia sat next to her. "Sorry." She didn't know what else to say on that subject.

Realizing her friend and guildmate meant well, Tesla sighed. She then heard the fighting in the distance. "What's going on out there?"

"Hostilities have resumed with all the factions. I did my best to peacefully defuse the situation but no luck."

"You should have done that with Logan." She had a disturbing thought. "Wait... what happened to him?"

Azelia stood up. "He's gone."

Tesla paused. "I can't believe he hit me."

"He didn't know who you were. And chances are, most other alternate Logans we encounter won't either." Azelia rechecked the timer. "Four minutes to go."

She helped Tesla to her feet and out of the room. The factions are nowhere near their location to threaten their imminent departure. They simply waited for the countdown to expire in silence and left this world behind.


	4. Chapter 4

Lord Faren is quite the philandering human noble, or so he would like you to believe. Like many other nobles of Divinity's Reach, his ancestry can be traced back to ancient kings. From his home on the street of Manor Hill, located in the western portion of Divinity Reach's Salma district, he is rehearsing what to say as part of his upcoming role this afternoon, using a full length mirror to watch himself. It is currently midday.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the fanciest of them all?" He pondered for a moment. "No, that won't do. Sounds like something you would read in a fairy tale." Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Hear ye, hear ye, come one come all to the most fancy of contests..." Again, it didn't seem right. "Now I sound like a town crier."

Pausing to turn around with a sigh, he took a glass slightly filled with wine off a small table and drank it all. "Come on Faren, you can do better than this."

His thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on his door. Taken a bit by surprise, he set the glass down, went to the door and opened it. On the other side is Kasmeer Meade, a former noble in her own right and his childhood friend. She was the last person that he thought it would be.

"Kasmeer," he said.

"Hello, Faren," she answered. "How are you?"

He hesitated to answer. "I am fine."

Kasmeer could tell from the way he said it that it was rather uneasy being in her presence once more. But then again, he has a good reason to be. "May I come in?" she asked.

Faren paused to consider it. Despite what happened between them months ago, he didn't wish to be rude so he stepped back to further open the door, inviting her in.

"Thank you," said Kasmeer as he closed the door behind her.

"Can I... interest you in some wine? Or perhaps a biscuit?" he asked, deciding to show chivalry and be a gentleman.

She sat down. "No thank you, I won't be here long."

Faren returned to the table to pour himself a little more wine. "To be honest, I hadn't expected to see you return here again."

"I was hoping you would be over that by now."

He turned back around, glass in hand. "Six months ago, you ended our relationship without even saying goodbye, just to start a new one with... another _woman_... Marjory Delaqua, if I'm not mistaken." He is definitely feeling uneasy seeing her again, given the circumstances.

Kasmeer nodded. Faren slowly strolled over to a window and looked out into a garden, with his free hand behind his lower back. "And how is she faring?"

"Doing well," she replied. "Jory and I recently began a private investigation service and she is currently working on her first case as I speak. I'll be joining her soon."

"I see... so what can I do for you today?" he asked.

"I heard you will be hosting the Fanciest Cat competition this afternoon. There are posters about it all over the city."

Faren turned back to her. "Indeed, I am. Were you planning to attend or add an entrant?" He sipped the wine.

"No, but Marjory's sister Belinda is."

Something about that sparked an interest in the subject. "Go on."

Kasmeer crossed her curvy legs into a more comfortable position. "Belinda's cat, Lady Wisteria Whiskington, will be a participant, along with a top favorite named Chauncey von Snuggles III."

Faren set the glass down on the table and sat himself. "I've heard of this Chauncey before but know only very little."

"He is highly popular among feline lovers and is already expected to win first prize."

"And how has he achieved such popularity?"

"There has been three smaller contests that were hardly advertised at all," Kasmeer explained. "At each one, Chauncey won first place. Which brings me to why I'm here... at today's show, I would like you to award Wisteria that honor, regardless of the judging results."

He is puzzled by this request. "You're asking me to be a biased host?"

"I owe Belinda a personal favor and she requested that I do so by helping her win. I can make it worth your while as well."

"Oh? How so?"

"I can provide you with quite a large money purse."

"A bribe? You're offering _me_ a bribe? I'm rich, you know."

Kasmeer raised her hand for a moment to stop him. "I wasn't finished. In addition, I'm willing to spend one more night with you in order to give you a 'proper' goodbye... if you know what I mean."

Faren's eyebrows raised with higher interest. "You're serious?"

"Very serious... will you do it?"

One and a half hours later, in the Dead End along the southern wall of the Eastern Commons, Azelia and Tesla have stepped out of the vortex portal. They were not thrown out of it like last time. Tesla knew where they are as Azelia was pleased to see a partly cloudy sky above them but yet disappointed.

"It's not taking us back home," Azelia said.

"We're still in Divinity's Reach. This is the Dead End section of the Eastern Commons," Tesla noted.

"I recognize the area." Azelia checked the timer. "We're only here for thirty... minutes..." She noticed something unusual about the displayed time. "Did the twins mention anything about time travel in how this operates?"

"No. Why?"

"According to this, it's 1326 AE. One year earlier." Azelia held out the timer for her to see.

Tesla glanced over to see the displayed time herself. It definitely shows the year to be 1326. "I seriously hope this doesn't affect the portal and other worlds we go to."

Azelia was about to put away the timer when a poster on a nearby wall caught her attention. She went over to see what it says. "Hmm... 'Divinity's Reach Fanciest Cat competition, Crown Pavilion - hosted by Lord Faren'... Tesla, check this out."

Tesla went to her and examined the poster, reading it to herself.

"Isn't there an exotic accessory related to this event?" Azelia asked.

"Yes, there is. The Third-Place Medal. I'm not all that familiar with all the details of the contest itself but I do know this Lord Faren character was involved in the event's controversial ending."

"Controversial?"

Tesla nodded. "Something happened that wasn't supposed to and Faren was ran out of town by an angry mob. I don't know about you but I'd like to see that for a laugh."

Azelia checked the event's time and date on the poster with what is displayed on the timer. "Well, you're in luck. It's still in progress right now. If we hurry, we can watch it for ourselves."

The Crown Pavilion was almost on the opposite side of the city from where they were. Tesla thought it over briefly. "The nearest waypoint is right inside the city's main entrance. We can use it to travel to the Pavilion much faster. Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

The competition was nearly over as the duo finally made it to where the competition is held in the Crown Pavilion. All seats were filled so they simply sat on a stone ledge next to the seating sections.

"And that concludes the talent portion of the program," Lord Faren announced to the audience. "We will pause momentarily to give our judges a few moments to complete scoring of our three finalists and then I will announce the results."

Speaking of the finalists, Azelia and Tesla took a good look at them. They recognized Chauncey von Snuggles III right away. He has mostly black fur with a white underbelly and the inside of each leg is white, wearing a dark bowler hat, red bowtie and thin lensed glasses.

The second finalist appeared to be female and was assumed to be Lady Wisteria Whiskington. She is a short cat with gray hair, a white ribbon on the back of her head and lace gloves on her paws. Wisteria's eyes resembled big puppy dog eyes with longer eyelashes.

The third is an orange tabby kitten, whose name was unknown to them. Besides its natural cute appearance that kittens normally have, it is wearing a green beret hat and a small light green tie.

Faren went over to the side in partial shadows where he has a bottle of water and a glass waiting for him. But for a few spectators, they thought the wait was not necessary.

 _"Yeah, yeah, get to the awards! We already know who the winner is!"_

 _"Chauncey, Chauncey, Chauncey!"_

As Faren poured out some water, he softly talked to himself. "I see that Chauncey does have quite the fan base and it's easy to see why." He drank the water. "He's really something, isn't he?"

He turned to glance in the direction of the judges. One of them was waving small cards at him, signaling the scoring is complete. Faren nodded in acknowledgment, set the glass down and went over to the judges' table to collect the cards. They contain the awarded points for the three cats. Each judge doesn't know what the others scored so Faren himself will tally the results.

Returning to center stage behind the cats, who are on pedestals, Faren paused for a moment to look over the points. "All right, the scoring is done and I hold the results in my hand. We will begin with the bronze medal." The audience quieted more out of respect. "Representing Fort Salma in Kessex Hills, third place goes to... Mungojerrie Rumpleteazer!"

The crowd clapped as Mungojerrie's owner, an elderly man, made his way to Faren to receive the medal. After a brief bow to the audience, he took the cat and went on his way. "Well done sir, well done. And now, the moment you have all been waiting for."

Out of the corner of his eye, Faren's attention briefly went to the side of the stands opposite of Azelia and Tesla. Kasmeer Meade is standing there watching the festivities. The upper part of her dress has been changed into one that reveals more cleavage. She slowly licked her upper lip, looking Faren in the eye. Faren took a deep breath to control himself and looked at the point cards once again. The judges have given Chauncey almost a perfect total score with Wisteria close behind.

"May the Six forgive me", he whispered before speaking up louder. "Our first place gold medal winner is here all the way from Beetletun and she won the hearts of our judging panel immediately." Some members of the audience were already in disbelief when Faren mentioned the word 'she'. "Put your hands together for the lovely Lady Wisteria Whiskington, fanciest cat in show!"

Only a small portion of those in attendance actually clapped. The rest were clearly Chauncey supporters and didn't agree with the outcome.

 _"WHAT? Second place?!"_

 _"Beetletun?"_

 _"Chauncey was robbed!"_

 _"Faren, you biased liar!"_

With a smirk, Kasmeer left, not actually caring about Faren at all. "Heh, men are so easy and gullible to manipulate." It is not known if Faren felt her deceptive betrayal. As Belinda collected the first place medal and Wisteria, the audience was on their feet, angry, and Faren could see it in their eyes.

Azelia and Tesla were enjoying watching history unfold right in front of them, munching on snacks and with smiles on their faces.

 _This may be a good time for me to take that seaside vacation in Southsun I've been putting off_ , he thought before speaking aloud. "Yes, uh... well, it's certainly gratifying to see such... strong heartfelt convictions in our citizenry. It's been a pleasure but I'm needed elsewhere. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you and good day!"

"Get him!" Azelia said out loud.

Most of the audience liked that idea and began charging at Faren, who ran off with a shriek. The history books surely never mentioned that it was a female Sylvari who set the whole 'run Faren out of town' ordeal in motion.

"Best parallel world so far, don't you think?" Tesla asked Azelia.

"Agreed. This was fun!"

Azelia and Tesla have a few minutes remaining until the slide. A man who was at the show but didn't join in the chase is walking back home. A woman runs up to him from the opposite direction.

"Could you see Chauncey from where you were? I got held up in Shaemoor and missed the whole show," she said to him.

"I... you really didn't hear what happened? I'm sorry, you're going to want to sit down for this," he replied. The two seem to know each other.

"What? Tell me! ...no, wait... no, don't... okay yes, tell me!"

He wasn't sure how to tell her the news. "Chauncey... look, second place is still... eh, it's still something."

She looked at him as if being told a family member has died. "I- ...I don't believe you! Why would you say that?" The woman is starting to cry.

The man pulled her to him in an embrace, trying not to cry himself. "You should have seen him. That brave little guy... he held his hat high."

Her crying is increasing. "I don't understand... how could Chauncey lose to another cat? he's so... so _fancy_!" At that point, she is crying her eyes out, not wanting to believe that Chancey scored anything but the top prize.

Azelia rolled her eyes. "Oh, get over it lady, it's just a cat," she said, but not loud enough for the couple to hear. She then checked the timer. "Under a minute to go. Let's find a dark alley to make our exit."

Tesla agreed. "Sounds good to me." She switched the tone of her voice into one with an accent that nobles normally use. "After you, my fancy Sylvari."

Azelia picked up on the humor right away, following suit. "Why, thank you, my dear human lady." They both laughed on the way to picking out a departure point.


	6. Chapter 6

They emerged from the vortex portal at the side of a building in the Western Ward of Lion's Arch, close to the Mystic Plaza. None of the public noticed their sudden appearance as the portal closed. The city is in a state of being repaired in the aftermath of Scarlet Briar's assault, just as it happened on their own homeworld. Citizens and adventurers are carrying out their usual business as normal, creating items at crafting stations, hanging out with friends and more. The sun is close to the horizon but isn't setting to bring in the evening night just yet.

"Looks normal enough," said Tesla. "But then again, we thought the first world was normal too."

"Yeah," Azelia replied while looking around, trying to see if there is anything different. "You want to hold on to the timer for a while?"

"Sure." Tesla was handed the device and she checked the countdown. "We're here for a little under three hours." She joined in to checking for whatever might be different than their world. "See anything unusual or out of place?"

"Not yet. If there truly is a difference somewhere, it might not be here in Lion's Arch specifically."

Tesla agreed. "True. I didn't think about that."

"Afternoon, ladies," They turned around to see Logan approaching them and smiled as he got close. He is in his Seraph armor.

"Greetings, Logan," Azelia said. "How are you today?"

"A bit bored, to be honest. Things have been quiet lately, especially since the angels arrived."

Azelia glanced over to Tesla for a moment, both with confused looks. "Angels? What angels?"

"But more importantly, Tesla, how are _you_ today?" Logan replied, ignoring Azelia's question.

"Well, I'm doing fi-"

Before Tesla could finish, Logan pulled her against him in an embrace and gave her a rather passionate kiss, which continued for about thirty seconds. Tesla made no attempt to stop him.

"I like... kisses... too..." said Azelia, trying to get them to break it up. They finally stop. Tesla can't remember the last time anyone gave her a kiss like that.

"Now you're better than fine," Logan told Tesla with a smile. He then turned to Azelia. She is ready for one of her own but instead, he took her hand and kissed it instead. "And good to see you as well, Azelia."

He checked the sun's position on the horizon. "The sunset alarm should be sounding very soon. I don't think I'll be able to get back to Divinity's Reach in time before nightfall. I'll see you two later."

With that said, Logan left in search of a suitable place to stay for the night. That kiss really made Tesla's day. But for Azelia, she was a bit upset that Logan gave her that much attention and hardly any for herself.

"All right, what's going on?" Azelia asked.

Tesla didn't understand what she meant. "What do you mean?"

"I'm starting to think he has something against Sylvari women. He gives you a lot more attention, it seems."

"Just lucky, I guess," Tesla replied with a shrug. She then saw a large number of UHoT guildmates gathered close to the Mystic Forge. Ellie Videl is close to them up on a large box with bottles of dye close to her. "Hey, there's Ellie. And it looks like she's doing her weekly dye giveaway. Let's join in."

As Tesla walked over to the group, Azelia paused, not amused over how much attraction Logan tends to gives her. With a sigh, she followed her. Videll's Dye Giveaway was indeed in progress and is close to finishing.

"And now, it's time to go THREE ROUNDS for an expensive rare dye!" Ellie announced as the group cheered.

Savage Bat raised his hand. "Videll, since I'm the reigning champion, I automatically win by default... right?" Of course, he was joking.

Ellie tapped her foot repeatedly, with hands on her hips. "Bat..."

"Hey, it was worth a shot."

UHoT guildmate Azu Zazarina is concerned about the time. "Are you sure there's time for this right now?" she asked Ellie. "It's almost nightfall."

All this talk of being worried about nightfall coming, alarms and whatever Logan meant by 'angels' is making Tesla suspicious. "I got a bad feeling about this," she told Azelia, who did not reply.

"Trying to go as fast as I can," said Ellie as she pulled out another rare dye and picked up a small tablet-like device in her other hand. The tablet is designed to detect who calls out what number during a giveaway round. "And speaking of expensive rare dyes, the one up for grabs is... Celestial!" she told UHoT, holding it up for all to see. "You already know how this works so let's get started. First round for everyone... new number from 1 to 30, go!"

As the group was beginning to make their number selections, an alarm began. Its sound is similar to a modern day nuclear attack alert. However, it wasn't just in Lion's Arch that the alarm is sounding from. There's one in every city, town and outpost in Tyria, all going off at the same time and can be heard from anywhere, even out in the wilderness. The people in Lion's Arch immediately stopped whatever they were doing and made a mad dash indoors, wherever they could get to. The sun will be setting below the horizon any minute now.

"Get inside! Move it!" Ellie ordered UHoT as she quickly stored the Celestial dye and tablet. Without delay, UHoT scattered in all directions, in search of a building to get to. Azelia and Tesla went with Ellie's group. As they ran, other people were heading in their own shelters, securing all doors and windows from the inside, and making sure the interior is completely well lit.

They finally made it to one, with Azelia and Tesla being the last two to arrive and almost ended up being locked out as the looped echoing siren was nearing its completion. Most of the group paused to catch their breath while others secured the structure, lighting all candles and lanterns.

"Lockdown clear!" Azu shouted from the front entrnace.

Yappycat, another guildmate, is in a back room helping with the lights. "Lights on!" Everyone relaxed at that point. There was a total of ten people in the building.

"What was all _that_ about, I wonder?" Azelia asked, not speaking to anyone in particular.

Ellie went over to her and Tesla. "Hey, Tes... Az... I thought you two were over in Rata Sum." Before either of them responded, her guild communicator interrupted.

 _"Rasolnika to Ellie, emergency!"_

Ellie pressed a button on her own communicator. "Go ahead." The others are glancing in her direction to listen in.

It sounded like Rasolnika is on the verge of crying. _"The angels... they got Azelia and Tesla! I don't know who else!"_

Confounded, Ellie looked at Azelia and Tesla, then back to the communicator. "Um, Ras... they are both here with me right now."

 _"How can that be? I saw the angels convert them as I closed the door behind me!"_

The black haired Asuran paused to make a decision. "Let me get back to you on that. Something strange is going on here. Out." The channel automatically closed. She turned to the duo. "I sure hope you have a perfectly good explanation for this."


	7. Chapter 7

Tesla decided the best thing to do is reveal who she and Azelia really are, where they come from, the sliding technology, everything. Of those in the building with them, Ellie was surprised the most.

"I... helped build this?" Ellie asked, examining the timer.

"Yes. You and Lynni, actually," Tesla replied.

"Speaking of Lynni, is she still around?" said Azelia.

"Would be nice if she was."

"Let me guess. These so-called 'angels' got her?" Tesla wondered.

"Yes. I'm now the last of the Vidells and half of UHoT is gone, including Selene. I was selected to be her replacement as guild leader."

"What _are_ the angels anyway?" Azelia asked.

Ellie took a deep breath. "From what we know of them so far, they are winged creatures from another world, made of stone. When you look at one, it literally becomes a statue and also cannot be damaged. But the moment it's not being observed, it lives again. Incredibly fast as well. Any physical contact with an angel will turn you into one."

Azelia swallowed in slight fear.

"They won't go in areas that are brightly lit," Ellie continued. "That's why the angels only come out at night. The alarm you heard lets everyone know when it's time to stop whatever you're doing and get to safety. Every building is equipped with beds, food, water closets and plenty of light sources." She noticed something strange on the timer. "I think one of you needs to see this."

Tesla took it from her and checked the display. She is having some difficulty understanding what it says.

"What is it?" Azelia wondered.

"There's a message saying 'Insufficient departure space'. " After glancing over the interior size of the small building they are in, the message then made sense. "There is not enough room for the portal to open. And if we are to leave this world, we have to get to a larger area."

"Th- th- that means... going outside... and risk a confrontation with the angels!" Azelia replied. "How much longer do we have?"

Tesla checked. "Two and a half hours."

"What happens if you don't leave when the countdown expires?" Ellie asked.

Tesla opened her mouth to respond but stopped, not knowing how to answer that. She and Azelia both had the same unsure facial expression, looking at each other. "That's a very good question. I didn't even think to ask that after the test run concluded."

"Ellie, is there anything you can do to help us?" said Azelia.

"I _could_ examine how that timer works but it would take much longer than two hours."

"Then we have no choice," Tesla decided. "Azelia and I must leave. But we first need to figure out the best way to handle this."


	8. Chapter 8

The two sat in a back corner, snacking on apple slices, trying to come up with a safe and effective plan to execute. There is no way to know for certain how many angels are outside, waiting for the chance to capture someone.

"Oh, by the way Tesla, I apologize for my behavior earlier," said Azelia.

"Hm?" Tesla replied, her mouth half full.

"With Logan, I mean. I just assumed we would both receive the same type of kiss."

Tesla swallowed. "Thought you weren't attracted to human males."

"It's just that... never in my life would I want affection from Logan, but I would not be disrespectful towards a kiss on the hand. You know, formalities and all. As I said, I thought we would both be treated the same."

Ellie came over with a mug of cider, taking a gulp from it. "Couldn't help overhearing. Did you say Logan _kissed_ you?" she asked Azelia, with a facial expression that also asked 'Why would he do that?'

Azelia nodded. "On my hand. But with Tesla, he planted a juicy one on her."

"And you're surprised by it?" Ellie replied. The same look as before is on her face.

"Well, yeah," Tesla interrupted. "Is there a reason we shouldn't be?"

Ellie is beginning to understand what's going on. "Oh right, you're from an alternate Tyria so you wouldn't have known."

"Known what?" Azelia wondered with high curiosity.

"On this world, all males will only show either romantic or intimate affection with females of their own race. However, to other races, they still show chivalry such as a simple kiss on your hand."

Tesla glanced to Azelia. "So that's why you didn't get a 'juicy one'."

Something slammed into the side of the building very hard, causing the lanterns to slightly flicker. Similar slams are heard at neighboring structures. Everyone is quickly on their feet. Despite the intensity of the impacts, the walls remain fully intact.

"Keep those lanterns lit, no matter what!" Ellie ordered, turning her attention to the others, who are checking the metal beams across all doors and windows. Azelia and Tesla did the same in the backroom.

"Sounds like these angels are desparate to get to people," Azelia said out loud.

Tesla is doing her best to stay calm. "We really need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"I know, I know."

A stronger slam hit the building by the front door. This time, the wall fractured in multiple places. One lantern fell to the floor and broke on impact.

"Someone get down to the cellar and bring up more lanterns! And hurry!" Ellie demanded, not speaking to anyone in particular.

Azelia quickly searched around the floor and spotted the hinged cellar hatch. She grabbed the handle and pulled it up, revealing a ladder going down into a large lit room. "I'm on it!" she shouted out before making her descent. Tesla went with her without saying anything. She closed the hatch and fearing for the worst, she slid a thick locking bolt in place. For a moment, this reminded her of the first parallel world they went to, when they locked themselves into a room as hostiles were on the other side of the door.

Inside, there are numerous crates with food and other supplies. Unlike above, the lighting wall panels embedded in the room walls are connected to a self-sustaining generator buried deep underground. There is nothing on the other side of the walls but packed dirt and stone.

Azelia scrambled to locate where extra lanterns are kept. Tesla stayed close to her while keeping her focus directly on the hatch. What sounded like a wall breaking in half echoed above them. Some people screamed in fright.

" _One of them is reaching inside!_ " a woman yelled.

" _Everyone, grab a lantern and stand back to back!_ " Ellie is heard ordering. " _Keep looking at them!_ "

"Az, what's taking so long?!" Tesla said.

"I can't find any! That's what!" she replied in frustration.

The screams were starting to reduce in numbers rather quickly.

" _Eternal Alchemy, save me_ ," Ellie said, almost at the point of whimpering.

It wasn't long until all was silent above, although other buildings remain under attack. Azelia stopped searching and joined Tesla in watching the hatch. Both are greatly worried for obvious reasons.


	9. Chapter 9

After a few minutes, all was still quiet above the room. That was not a good sign. Azelia finally found a couple more lanterns that were never used yet and some batteries. "Yes! Here's some! Don't know how I missed them the first time."

"Something tells me we're going to need all we can take," Tesla replied. "Based on what Ellie told us, light repels them."

Azelia finished loading batteries and gave her a lantern. "Unfortunately, these are the only two available."

"Great..." After Tesla adjusted the lantern for maximum brightness, she went up to the ladder and stopped at the hatch, concentrating to listen.

Azelia waited a few moments. "Hear anything?"

Tesla paused, taking a slow deep breath. "No... and that worries me."

"But as you said, we have to leave."

Tesla glanced over to her. "I'm going to take a tiny peek out."

With her free hand, Azelia covered her mouth, just in case something happens to make her shriek or scream. Tesla very slowly lifted up the hatch with her lantern hand.

As the light began to barely enter into the darkness beyond, she saw what looked like the feet of an Asuran. They are gray like stone marble and not moving. Tesla immediately stopped moving herself.

Azelia could see the minor fright in her face. "What is it?" she whispered, after lowering her hand first.

Tesla very slowly closed the hatch and looked to her. "Asuran angel," she whispered back. "About five feet from the hatch."

"I hope it's not Ellie."

Without replying, Tesla turned her focus back to the hatch and slowly opened it again, just enough to see out. This time, the Asuran feet were nowhere to be seen. "It moved."

Something caught Azelia's attention from another crate. It looked like disc-shaped light sources. "Ah, perfect." She grabbed as many as she could and placed them in an empty backpack. She then turned one on and went over to the ladder, handing it to Tesla. "Here, use this."

"Thanks."

Tesla took the disc and quickly slid it out to the main floor, lighting up the room. The sound of something hurrying to get out is heard from out of sight. "Whatever that was, I think I scared it away." She slowly continued opening the hatch, checking for danger from the sides as well. "Looks clear. Come on." She opened the hatch all the way over and carefully climbed up into the room.

Azelia followed soon after with another disc in hand, ready for use. The walls of the room are badly damaged with parts of them exposing the evening environment. As they were getting ready to leave, Azelia jerked around to her left, pointing the disc at something.

"Oh no" was all she could say. Tesla turned to see what was the matter. From the shadows outside the building, the unmoving statue form of Ellie stood. She has an angry look on her face, baring teeth, pointing at the duo with one hand and her other overhead and slightly behind.

"It _is_ Ellie," Azelia continued, "but what is she doing?"

Tesla studied the pose. "Looks like she's beckoning others to our position." Without asking, she reached in the backpack that Azelia is carrying on her back, got out another disc and tossed it outward almost like a frisbee so it lands a short distance behind Ellie. To their fright, two more statues could be seen, both with angry faces.

Their **own** faces.

"Az... it's US!" Tesla said.

"Yes, I can clearly see that, thank you," Azelia quickly replied.

"Don't take your eyes off them." Tesla fastened her lantern to her belt. She acquired two more discs, one in each hand. As she threw them outside, spreading them apart, Azelia blinked. Tesla heard her shriek.

Quickly looking back to her, she then noticed the statues have changed positions. Ellie was gone while 'Azelia' and 'Tesla' had taken a step or two back, holding up their hands in front of their faces to block out the extra light.


	10. Chapter 10

"Az, walk backwards and I'll guide us away from them," Tesla said as she grabbed onto Azelia's belt.

The Sylvari didn't say anything but was clearly afraid. However, the plan didn't get very far as Tesla turned to lead the way away from their alternate selves, only to stare down more angels a short distance away, all with angry faces. She let out a brief shriek of her own. "More behind us!"

"N- n- not good," Azelia replied.

With their backs against the side of what remains of the building wall, they both had to quickly glance back and forth to slow down the forward advancement of the angels. There is now a large group of them, including more UHoT members.

Tesla desparately wanted to check the timer to see if they now have enough space to open the vortex portal but didn't want to risk taking her eyes of the angels, not even for a second. They have the duo surrounded in a half circle.

"We're trapped," said Azelia, doing her best not to cry. The hands of the angels are slowly getting closer to them with each passing glance. After about a minute, their touch was merely inches away. It was at that moment that the strangest thing happened.

From the other side of the wall, a very bright and blinding light shined, beaming through the broken sections and holes. It instantly scared off all the angels and sent them far away. Tesla and Azelia's fear gradually changed to slight confusion as they turned to face the light, hands in front of their eyes as visors.

The light began to move into the open space. A silhouette of a very tall female in some form of exotic armor could be seen. "Azelia Heartshaper... Tesla Taiyou... you should not be on this world." The voice echoed all around them.

"Wha- ...who are you?" Tesla asked.

There was a pause before the answer came. "I am Dwayna and you will be taken to a safe location, where the statues cannot follow," she added. Everything around the two became solid light for a split second. When their sight returned, they found themselves in a large palace-like room made out of blue and gold marble. There are unseen lights all over the room to see all around. Tesla and Azelia are about ten feet away from her.

She is a blue skinned woman whose height makes the tallest of Norn seem average, shoulder length blue hair and has darker blue eyes. Her armor is blue and gold in the shape of wings, including her headgear.

"I- I never thought I'd see an actual deity in person," Azelia softly uttered.

"Same here," Tesla said.

"As I stated back in Lion's Arch, you should not have been in that angel-infested world," said Dwayna. Her mouth was not even moving.

Tesla took a step forward. "We have been trying to get back home but have been unable to do so."

"And how precisely _did_ you leave yours anyway?"

Tesla took out the timer and got closer, holding it out for her to see. Dwayna took it from her to examine the device.

"Two of our Asuran friends built a portable transporter of sorts that leads to alternate realities," Tesla explained. "The timer you're holding opens a portal vortex that goes to them. But due to an error on our part, we left a world before it was safe to do so."

"And because of that, the destination is now random instead of a guaranteed trip back home," Azelia said.

If the goddess was impressed, her face didn't show it. "Astounding. Asurans building a technological ability that deities naturally possess."

"Can you help us get back?" Azelia wondered.

The deity studied Azelia for a moment, then the timer again. Without warning, in one very swift motion, she crushed the timer into many pieces with one hand to the duo's horror.

"HEY! Why did you do that?!" Tesla demanded.

Dwayna wiped her hand clean of any remaining timer fragments. "An ability that mortals are not allowed to have. Be sure to inform your asuran friends of that." Before either of them could respond, she snapped her fingers. The two disappeared from the palace room and were sent directly to the twins' lab of their homeworld. For Ellie and Lynni, Azelia and Tesla were only gone for about 8 hours total.

Back in the marble room, she sighed in disbelief. "First, it was Azeena Videll and her corrupted alternate self. Now this. When will they ever learn to avoid going to other parallel universes?"


End file.
